Jack Dorsey's Bitchat Pulled From App Stores in India After Government Order
Bitchat, Jack Dorsey's decentralized messaging app designed to function without an internet connection, has been removed from Apple and Google's app stores in India, months after New Delhi first moved to restrict access to the open-source software.
Dorsey said Saturday that the Indian government had ordered Apple to remove Bitchat from its App Store in the country. In a notice from Apple that Dorsey posted on X, India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued the demand under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act—the country's primary legal provision for government-ordered online blocking.
Scope of the Removal
Apple's notice stated that Bitchat would remain available on its App Store outside India, though access through its TestFlight beta-testing service would also be blocked within the country.
By the time TechCrunch checked on Saturday, Bitchat was no longer downloadable through Google Play in India. Bitchat's website was also inaccessible across multiple internet service providers in the country. It was not immediately clear whether Google and internet service providers had likewise received directives from the federal government.
Apple, Google, and India's IT ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
How Bitchat Works
Launched in July of last year, Bitchat uses Bluetooth mesh networking to let nearby devices exchange encrypted messages without relying on cellular networks, internet access, or centralized servers.
Prior GitHub Takedown and Legal Questions
In July 2026, Dorsey revealed that Indian authorities had ordered GitHub to take down repositories associated with the open-source messaging app, raising questions among digital rights advocates and legal experts about the legal basis for restricting software based on its functionality.
At the time, the Indian government said in its order to GitHub that Bitchat's architecture made it difficult for law enforcement agencies to intercept communications or trace users, and pointed to its ability to keep operating during internet shutdowns. That July order relied on a provision of India's information technology law dealing with intermediaries and their liability for third-party content—distinct from the Section 69A cited in Apple's latest notice.
Digital Rights Advocates Push Back
The Internet Freedom Foundation, a New Delhi-based digital rights advocacy group, called the latest order unconstitutional, arguing that Section 69A permits the government to block unlawful information but not a messaging app because of its ability to function during internet shutdowns. The group also said neither the blocking order nor the allegedly illegal content cited as the basis for the action had been made public.
Context: Protests and Internet Shutdowns
The latest restrictions on Bitchat come as India is experiencing a fresh wave of youth-led protests over changes to the country's voter rolls. Police detained several people during demonstrations in New Delhi on Saturday, as protesters demanded the resignation of India's chief election commissioner over alleged manipulation of electoral rolls. Authorities suspended internet services around New Delhi's Jantar Mantar for 12 hours on Friday during protests there.
via TechCrunch